CU head coach Mike MacIntyre watches his players during the morning practice on March 14, 2014. (Cliff Grassmick, Daily Camera)

Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre has concentrated on, in no particular order, Colorado, California and Texas as the Buffs’ primary recruiting territories.

But MacIntyre does have ties to Nashville, Tenn. (having played two seasons for his father at Vanderbilt) and that may have contributed to CU landing an oral commitment this week from linebacker Jay Hockaday of Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, according to BuffStampede.com on the Rivals.com network.

This fall, Hockaday (6-foot-3 and 215 pounds) helped Christ Presbyterian go 15-0 and claim the Tennessee Class 3A state championship. He recorded 95 tackles and four sacks, according to BuffStampede.com, and also rushed for almost 900 yards.

Hockaday is another example of the “diamonds in the rough” that MacIntyre and his staff are trying to uncover. Hockaday is rated only a 2-star prospect by Rivals.com. And his next-best offer came from Navy. But he has the size and evidently the speed and potential to succeed in the eyes of Buffs recruiters who have a good track record of finding late bloomers.

Hockaday is the second linebacker on CU’s commitment list for this recruiting cycle, joining N.J. Falo from Sacramento. Colorado also will welcome Rick Gamboa from Sylmar, Calif., a 2014 signee who redshirted this fall, and Grant Watanabe of San Antonio, who has delayed his enrollment until next month as a “grayshirt.”

As the Colorado State Rams are in Nevada, finishing up preparations for Saturday’s Las Vegas Bowl, the process of finding a replacement for Jim McElwain is continuing. President Tony Frank, interim AD John Morris, plus DHR International consultants Glenn Sugiyama and Pat Richter, have managed to mostly keep the lid on the proceedings. That’s a prerequisite for search firms, as much as possible, because one of the reasons for using them is to maintain privacy and, well, plausible deniability … as in, no, I haven’t heard from anyone at (Fill in name of school). The other layer is agents. Consultants and search services also help lessen the chance of embarrassment on both sides, with the goal of keeping things as quiet as possible and as much as possible preventing candidates (or schools) from appearing to be “rejected.”

But on Wednesday, Georgia AD Greg McGarity confirmed to Georgia.247sports.com, among others, that CSU was interviewing Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. That came out because Bobo, as is required in his contract, notified head coach Mark Richt. Bobo, 40, was a Georgia quarterback from 1993-97, joined Richt’s staff in 2001 and was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in 2007.

The catch here is that the interviews at this point are considered preliminary, with DHR and a small group of additional CSU insiders charged with screening and vetting possible candidates — a number to be determined — to move along to the next step.

When some reacted to the news of Bobo’s interview with the assumption that he is going to be the Rams’ next coach, that was considerably premature and even a bit naive. This preliminary interview came to light. He might become the Rams’ next coach, but this is part of a bigger picture.

Frank isn’t yet involved and presumably won’t be until final interviews. Read more…

Colorado State senior setter Deedra Foss was named an AVCA third-team All-American on Wednesday.

Foss, the 2014 Mountain West player of the year, ranked seventh in the NCAA in assists (11.65). Junior outside hitter Adrianna Culber was named an honorable mention.

“I’m really excited,” Foss said in a release. “It’s an honor and a blessing to be named All-American, especially my senior season. I went into this year with the goal of being the best teammate I could be, and along the way I earned some awards, which shows how great of a team we have.”

Head coach Dave Logan from Cherry Creek High School for The Denver Post’s 2014 All-Colorado football team on Wednesday, December 10, 2014. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

OK, I’ve held off on this.

Many have asked me about two in-state figures and the Colorado State football coaching job.

And, yes, those involved in the ongoing search — Tony Frank, John Morris, Glenn Sugiyama and Pat Richter — would be well-advised to at least consider contacting, speaking directly with, and seeking to formally interview Dave Logan and John Wristen. I’ve previously listed other potential candidates from the FBS ranks, including both Scott Frost and Matt Lubick, as far back as mid-November, when Will Muschamp’s firing at Florida was announced. Once anyone gets in the interview room, wherever that is, they’re on their own, of course. But Logan and Wristen are worthy of interviews, and I’d expect they’d come off well to the men doing the search, depending on how open-minded they are.

I probably don’t need to recite Logan’s credentials, but I’ll do it anyway.

University of Colorado’s Dominique Collier takes a shot over a swarm of defenders during an NCAA basketball game against San Francisco on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Coors Event Center in Boulder. (Jeremy Papasso, Daily Camera)

BOULDER — Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle said the Buffaloes could have used freshman point guard Dominique Collier Wednesday night in the 62-60 loss to visiting Colorado State. Collier sprained “a couple of” ligaments in his wrist while taking a charge during the Sunday loss at Georgia.

Boyle said Collier will not play Saturday in the home game against Northern Colorado, but it is hoped that the former Denver East star will return to the court in time for CU’s trip to Hawaii for the Dec. 22-25 Diamond Head Classic.

Colorado State Rams wide receiver Rashard Higgins #82 gets pushed out of bounds after a pass reception by Air Force Falcons defensive back Justin DeCoud #13 in the first quarter at Falcon Stadium on Nov. 28, 2014. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Colorado State sophomore wide receiver Rashard Higgins was named Thursday to the USA Today All-America Team as a first-team selection.

Former CSU coach Steve Fairchild recruited many of the players that Jim McElwain eventually coached to a 10-win team. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

Jim McElwain deserves all the credit in the world for turning around Colorado State’s football program in three years.

But once McElwain gets settled in his new office at the University of Florida, he ought to send a handwritten thank you to his predecessor at CSU, Steve Fairchild, for recruiting so many talented players that McElwain inherited in 2012.

Players that starred under McElwain’s watch, but were recruited by Fairchild comprise quite a list. They include:

Colorado coach Tad Boyle argues a call with officials during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA on Friday, Jan 2, 2015, in Boulder. (Jeremy Papasso, Daily Camera)

Following the 64-57 loss Sunday at Georgia, Colorado men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle has preached to his team about concentration, concentration, concentration.

“We’ve yet to put a 40-minute game together,” Boyle said in advance of Wednesday’s 7 p.m. home game against Colorado State (8-0). “That’s a challenge for this group. (Maintaining) concentration is hard to do.”

Colorado (5-2) tied the game in Athens, Ga., at 22-22 on a 3-point shot by junior forward Xavier Johnson. But Georgia closed out the first half with a 12-0 run. The Bulldogs began the second half by scoring the first two baskets. That lengthened CU’s scoring drought to about 7 minutes.

The Colorado football program has nabbed a pair of commitments from the state of Arizona, according to Rivals.com.

Saying they will sign with the Buffs are Justin Jay (6-foot-2, 193 pounds), a wide receiver from Chandler (Ariz.) High School and defensive back Isaiah Oliver (6-1, 186) from Brophy Prep in Phoenix.

Rivals.com has Oliver as the highest-rated defensive back in the state of Arizona for the current recruiting cycle. However, the three-star prospect has not been offered a scholarship by Arizona State or Arizona. Oliver, son of former NFL player Muhammed Oliver, picked the Buffs over New Mexico.

Jay, rated two stars by Rivals.com, caught 48 passes for 918 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior and fills a CU need for a big wide receiver. Colorado is Jay’s only offer thus far from a major college.

CU’s most notable signee from the state of Arizona in recent years has been safety Ray Polk, who played high school ball at Brophy Prep.

Colorado is up to 18 commitments. That includes defensive lineman Frank Umu from Heritage High School, who switched last week from Colorado State to CU. Buffs coach Mike MacIntyre declined last week to place a number on CU’s recruiting class.

CSU is looking for a successor to Jim McElwain. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

There are two searches going on at Colorado State — for an athletic director to replace Jack Graham and a football coach to succeed Jim McElwain — and the school is using the same search firm, DHR International, as consultant for both.

Interim AD John Morris said at the Thursday news conference following McElwain’s departure that there would be no search committee for the coaching opening. “President Tony Frank will be leading the search for for our head football coach and I will be intimately involved in that with him,” Morris said.

Morris said of using a search firm: “We’re still finalizing details on that.” Read more…

Dave Baldwin, Colorado State’s offensive coordinator, will serve as interim head coach and will lead the team at its upcoming bowl game. Here he’s at the Rams’ indoor practice on the afternoon of Jim McElwain’s departure. Garrett Grayson is at left, and that’s Rashard Higgins at the right, just over Baldwin’s shoulder. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The case for Dave Baldwin, the Rams’ interim head coach for the upcoming bowl game, is not just based on the man himself, but also the concept of continuity and stability.

With president Tony Frank and interim athletic director John Morris conducting the search for Jim McElwain’s successor, it’s reasonable — and even advisable — to see who might be out there, whether the predictable candidates or even an unconventional one or two.

That includes (but isn’t limited to) assistants Tony Alford of Notre Dame and Billy Gonzales of Mississippi State, both former CSU players; and Matt Lubick of Oregon, Sonny Lubick’s son.

I’ve gotten indications that Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost is inclined to wait and be picky, even among power conference jobs, and is considered unlikely to be interested in the CSU position. The natural job for him, at his alma mater, Nebraska, went to Oregon State’s Mike Riley.

But after checking out who might be interested, or be talked into being interested, and fielding calls and communications from those advocating for their clients or staff members, CSU could weigh everything, decide to strike “interim” from Baldwin’s job title and be in good shape.

After McElwain’s three-season stint, the Rams have a good thing going.

Former CSU tight end Crockett Gillmore of the Ravens and former CSU center Weston Richburg of the New York Giants both weighed in:

The Colorado State marching band has performed in numerous local, national and international events, from the 2013 St. Patrick’s Festival and Parade in Dublin, to Denver Broncos’ games.

You’ve probably seen them from above, sitting the stands or watching them on TV. You may have even seen them from field level. But you’ve never seen them this close, through a GoPro camera attached to a trombone. Enjoy.

I’m at the Colorado State University system board of governors meeting in downtown Denver. We’re getting near the vote following the public comment period after CSU president Tony Frank verbally made his recommendation to move forward with the on-campus stadium project, and in the full-scale, $220-million version.

Nothing unexpected has happened so far, including in the presentations leading up to Frank’s recommendation and then in the public comment period.

The buyout settlement, as noted elsewhere, was $3 million over six years from Florida, $2 million “from Jim McElwain,” plus a $2 million guarantee for a CSU-Florida game from 2017-20.

McElwain’s contract called for $7.5 million in a lump sum paid within 30 days. That was his initial buyout, and it could have gone up if McElwain met certain “achievements” and got additional salary bumps — beyond basic annual raises — in the five-year deal that had annual rollovers that could be triggered by either side.

CSU is not getting a check for $7.5 million by early January. The $5 million will come in over a period of six years. The game at Florida is an asterisk. CSU probably would have had a “paycheck” game in there somewhere, anyway.

When news of his hiring by Florida was announced Thursday, many of his CSU players took to Twitter. And while many posted congratulatory messages, not all were thrilled with his exit and how it played out:

So our coach couldn't tell us he was leaving. We have to find out through ESPN and the news. #DoWhatsRight huh?

The Jim McElwain Show is now days in the making, according to multiple reports, and the highlights keep piling up. I’m not talking about the actual negotiations with Florida and athletic director Jeremy Foley. I’m not talking about his $7.5 million buyout and his options for getting it reduced.

I’m talking about the behind-the-scenes stuff. The important stuff. The Twittersphere.

On Tuesday, the courtship reached its peak thus far when Foley hopped on a (baller) flight from Jacksonville, Fla., to Fort Collins to meet with McElwain at his (baller) home.

But as soon as Yahoo Sports first reported that Foley was en route to Fort Collins for a face-to-face meeting with McElwain, readers and tweeters went nuts (guilty!). Foley’s flight was tracked, reporters flocked to McElwain’s mansion, and the group was even photographed, Papparazzi-style, while inside the home. (They were doing crazy things, like viewing mountains.)

Colorado defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat demonstrates a technique during a practice and scrimmage in the practice bubble on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on April 4, 2014. (Daily Camera file)

When Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre was asked this week during his final weekly news conference about CU’s defense, the glass-half-full optimist came up with a positive take:

“One of the things that will help us (in the future) on defense is we played a lot of guys,” MacIntyre said. “We have a lot of players coming back with more experience.”

But there was a lot more about Colorado’s defense in 2014 that deserves harsh criticism and, likely, some offseason adjustments.

Garrett Grayson threw for five touchdowns against Wyoming on Oct. 25. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

The Mountain West Conference has named Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson the league’s offensive player of the year and Jim McElwain coach of the year. The defensive player of the year honor went to Utah State linebacker Zach Vigil.

Grayson, the senior from the Orchards area outside Vancouver, Wash., is the fourth CSU player to win the MW offensive player of the year, and he joins Bradlee Van Pelt (2002 and ’03), Matt Newton (2000) and Kevin McDougal (1999).

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.